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Show By Janet Wallis Lasagna and heartburn Lasagna gives me heartburn. But I eat it anyway. Afterall, no one can pass up lasagna, can they? Especially if it's Aunt Sarah's. Aunt Sarah is gone, but the recipe she shared over twenty years ago has given me heartburn regularly. I've tried other varieties instant, frozen, authentic Italian, gourmet, and most recently a lasagna which uses six different kinds of cheese, but Aunt Sarah's remains a favorite. "I've grown accustomed." Aunt Sarah's isn't a snap. It's fussy. It takes time, patience and tenacity. I'm low on all those. I admit I've been flubbing her recipe for years. Just recently I was asked, along with a dozen others, to furnish lasagna for a large dinner. Mine looked different. dif-ferent. Most of the others also used Aunt Sarah's recipe, but no one elses ended up with the American cheese on top. Layering is not my forte. One Christmas I invited a group to dinner and promised them lasagna. I had it ready for the oven before I discovered I had left the cottage cheese layer out. Re-layering already layered lasagna is no joke. However, everyone raved about the lasagna (What else could they do?) And several asked for the recipe. Maybe Aunt Sarah's recipe is not quite as elegant as Jeff Carpenter's. But afterall, he spent two years in Italy Ita-ly learning a more authentic version. But his requires more time and several kinds of cheese I can't pronounce, pro-nounce, and besides that, I lost the recipe he gave me. Anyway, Aunt Sarah's is easier than Jeff's and everything for it can be purchased pur-chased in any grocery store. However, I confess sharing Aunt Sarah's recipe with you has a dual purpose. pur-pose. My first copy was handwritten in Sarah's own script, but the writing faded. So I was delighted when it appeared ap-peared in a local recipe book. But the book fell apart and now Aunt Sarah's torn, worn lasagna recipe is quarter-folded quarter-folded in my disaster box among my other "hopefully-never-to-be-lost" favorites. I'm badly in need of a newly printed copy and sharing it with you is a sneaky way to get one. Also, if I share Aunt Sarah's version, perhaps Jeff can be persuaded to share his. AUNT SARAH'S LASAGNA 1 lb. ground beef 1 clove garlic, minced or garlic salt 1 T. parsley flakes 1 tsp. salt 1 No. 2 can tomatoes 1 6 oz. can tomato paste 1 T. basil 1 8 oz. pkg. lasagna noodles 2 cartons (3 cups) small curd cream style cottage cheese 2 beaten eggs Vfe tsp. salt y4 tsp. pepper 2 T. parsley flakes Vfe cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 lb. American cheese, sliced very thin Brown meat and add next six ingredients. ingre-dients. Simmer, uncovered till thick. About 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Cook noodles in boiling water until tender, drain, rinse in cold water. Combine cottage cheese with next five ingredients. Place half the noodles in a large (and I mean large) greased baking dish. Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture over, add half the American cheese and half the meat mixture. Repeat. Bake in 375 oven for 30 minutes. And may your heartburn be as enjoyable en-joyable as mine. |